SOMERSET, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oticon, Inc. is expanding its hearing aid portfolio to allow even more individuals with hearing loss to experience the benefits of Oticon’s advanced BrainHearing™ technology. The additions include two new Oticon More™ miniBTE styles that meet the needs of users who prefer small, discreet, behind-the-ear (BTE) options, as well as two new hearing aid families. Oticon Zircon becomes the first hearing aid in the essentials category to deliver the open sound experience, and Oticon Play PX is the world’s first pediatric hearing aid with an on-board Deep Neural Network (DNN) that learned to recognize sounds the way children learn – through experience.
“At Oticon, we never stop pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” said Oticon President Gary Rosenblum. “We are continually looking for opportunities to extend the reach of our life-changing hearing technology to an even broader group of people so they can hear in a more natural way.”
Oticon More – new styles, new evidence
Oticon continues to expand the Oticon More family of hearing aids with two new discreet BTE options. The miniBTE R and miniBTE T package the power of Oticon More’s on-board DNN into a small BTE option.
For users who prefer the convenience of a rechargeable hearing aid, the reliable lithium-ion batteries of the miniBTE R deliver a full day of battery life,* including streaming, after just 3.5 hours of charging. Meanwhile, the miniBTE T uses disposable zinc air batteries to meet the needs of wearers who prefer a more traditional battery option.
Oticon More has proven effective for helping individuals with hearing loss decipher the sounds and speech around them. Previous studies have shown that Oticon More delivers 30% more sound to the brain and increases speech understanding by yet another 15%.** Now, new research examining Oticon More found that the hearing aid reduces sustained listening effort by 30%.***
Bringing the open sound experience to the essential hearing aid category
For the first time ever, Oticon is bringing the open sound experience to the essential hearing aid category. Oticon Zircon builds on Oticon’s BrainHearing philosophy and features technologies that deliver the information the brain needs to make sense of sound. The features in Oticon Zircon work synergistically so people with hearing loss can experience clear and well-balanced 360-degree speech even in noisy environments.****
Oticon Zircon is available in a choice of rechargeable and non-rechargeable styles, performance levels and colors.
New life-changing technology for children with hearing loss
Specifically designed for children, Oticon Play PX is the world’s first pediatric hearing aid with an on-board DNN. The DNN was trained on 12 million real-life sounds and learned to recognize sounds through experience, like children’s brains do naturally. This gives children a more natural listening experience, allowing them to more fully participate in all the experiences childhood has to offer.
Oticon Play PX comes in two rechargeable and two non-rechargeable styles, and 12 color options to match children’s personal preferences. It’s also available with a wide range of connectivity options for enhanced learning and communication. This includes compatibility with EduMic, an easy-to-use classroom hearing solution that provides clear and reliable access to a teacher’s voice to help children manage noise, reverberation and distance in the classroom.
2-way hands-free communication for iPhone and iPad
For the first time, Oticon More, Oticon Zircon and Oticon Play PX support two-way, hands-free communication with iPhone and iPad.+ The hearing aids can be used as a headset so users can speak hands-free on phone or video calls.
The hearing aids are also compatible with the Android™ protocol for Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA), making it possible for users to stream directly from select Android devices.++
For more information about Oticon’s expanded product portfolio, please visit www.oticon.com.
* Lithium-ion performance varies depending on hearing loss, lifestyle and streaming behavior.
** Compared to Oticon Opn S™, Santurette, et al., 2020 Oticon More clinical evidence. Oticon whitepaper.
***Murmu Nielsen, R. & Ng, E. 2021. Reducing sustained listening effort: Oticon More new evidence. Oticon whitepaper.
****OpenSound Navigator™ is only available in Zircon 1.
+ Bi-directional streaming for certified Made for iPhone hearing devices is available with iPhone 11 or later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and 4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and 2nd generation), iPad Air (4th generation), and iPad mini (6th generation), with software updates iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 or later.
++ Android devices need to support ASHA to allow direct streaming to Oticon More. Please visit Oticon.com/support/compatibility for more information.
Android™, Google Play, and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
Oticon, Inc. – Life-Changing Technology
Oticon is one of the world’s most innovative hearing device manufacturers, with more than 110 years’ experience in the design and development of hearing aids for adults and children. Our comprehensive portfolio of life-changing technology improves not only the quality of hearing but the overall quality of life for people with hearing loss. Oticon challenges conventions and pushes the limits of technology to bring to market hearing solutions that exceed the needs and expectations of people with hearing loss, so that they can live their lives without limit. Our groundbreaking BrainHearing™ technology is helping to provide better hearing with less effort by giving the brain the clearest, purest sound signals to decode. For more information visit www.oticon.com.